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Illinois GOP chairman OK with gay marriage

Illinois GOP Chairman Pat Brady is encouraging state lawmakers to support same-sex marriage.

“More and more, Americans understand that if two people want to make a lifelong commitment to each other, government should not stand in their way,” Brady said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “Giving gay and lesbian couples the freedom to get married honors the best conservative principles. It strengthens families and reinforces a key Republican value — that the law should treat all citizens equally.”

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Illinois legalized civil unions in 2011, and supporters hope to have a vote on gay marriage before Jan. 9, when the current Legislature leaves office. Reuters reported Brady is calling and lobbying GOP lawmakers, but only one Republican voted for the civil unions law.

President Barack Obama, a former member of the Illinois State Senate, encouraged lawmakers to legalize gay marriage in a statement last week.

Illinois would become the second Midwestern state to legalize gay marriage, after Iowa.